Ex-New Hanover star Ross finds payoff in Bills roster spot

Saturday

Sep 7, 2013 at 8:33 PM

The new father made the final 53-man Buffalo team, which opens the season Sunday.

By Vince NairnVince.Nairn@starnewsonline.com

All the good news brought Jay Ross to tears.Two weeks after Ross, 23, celebrated the birth of his daughter, he found out he had made the final 53-man roster of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, who open the season at 1 p.m. Sunday against New England."I always knew my time would come," said Ross, a former standout at New Hanover High School and East Carolina. "I never quit. I never gave up. I actually broke down and cried in my room a little bit ago. Just all the hard work I put into it. It's just such a blessing."Ross went undrafted in 2010 and spent the seasons on the practice squads of the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. He landed on the Bills' practice squad last year and was called up at the end of the regular season. He played in eight snaps of one game.In the offseason, the Bills signed him to a two-year deal. With a new coaching staff in place, Ross saw a shot to impress the new regime."It started in the spring," Ross said. "First impressions are everything. I just tried to do as hard as I could. I just went hard to the whistle. I think I fit into the scheme pretty good."Ross found out Aug. 30 that he'd made the team and promptly flew home to Wilmington to spend time with his fiancée and new daughter. Coming off a stellar career as a defensive lineman at East Carolina – he was named to the school's all-time defensive team last month – Ross had trouble sticking in the NFL. Being relegated to practice squads gave him perspective on what he had to do to make it in the league."It kind of humbled me coming from ECU," Ross said. "I thought (the NFL) would be a whole lot easier, but it wasn't. That made me mature. (Working from the practice squad) just makes me appreciate it more."Ross did not look at being a practice squad player with a negative eye. He prepared the same way the starters would and said he was instructed to be ready in case of an injury. In this past off-season, however, Ross made a change to his approach. He made a goal to do more than just lift weights – which he admitted was all he did in the past – and tried to become healthier."I wasn't really ready," Ross said. "You get what you put into it. And I realized I had to put way more into it. I needed to learn how to be a pro. Now I feel I'm ready."